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Armstrong Whitworth Starling
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.14 Starling was a British single-engine biplane fighter developed for the Royal Air Force in the 1920s. It was unsuccessful, with the Bristol Bulldog being selected instead. Development The A.W.14 Starling was developed by Armstrong Whitworth in order to meet the requirements of Specification 28/24, for a single-seat fighter capable of operating in day and night-time conditions to replace Armstrong Whitworth's earlier Siskin. It was a single-bay sesquiplane (a biplane with the lower wing much smaller than the upper) with staggered unequal span wings. The fuselage had a bolted steel-tube structure, while the wings had steel spars and wooden ribs and were fitted with ailerons on the upper wings only. The wings used the experimental RAF 30 aerofoil section, which is symmetrical, with zero camber. Armament was two synchronised .303 in Vickers machine guns.Tapper 1988, pp. 168–170.Mason 1992, p. 189.Flight 2 August 1928, pp. 660–665. Two prototypes were ordered, with the first J8027, powered by a 385 hp (287 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VII radial engine flying on 12 May 1927. It proved to be underpowered with this engine, and was therefore re-engined with a 460 hp (340 kW) Jaguar V engine. Performance was still unimpressive however, with the first prototype not exceeding speeds of 160 mph (260 km/h) rather than the expected 180 mph (290 km/h), while low speed handling was poor.Tapper 1988, p. 170. The prototype was evaluated against the later Specification F.9/26 in February 1926, but was rejected by the RAF, who instead selected the Bristol Bulldog. J8027 was returned to Armstrong Whitworth, who fitted it with new wings with Clark YH aerofoil section and leading edge slots fitted on the upper wings.Tapper 1988, pp. 170–171. It was given the civil registration G-AAHC in May 1929, and was shown at Olympia in London in July 1929. It was cancelled from the register in December 1930.Jackson 1974, p. 323. The second prototype, J8028 was heavily redesigned, with a more streamlined fuselage and revised wings, which although retaining the Clark YH aerofoil section, had smaller lower wings.Tapper 1988, pp. 173, 175. It was powered by a 525 hp (391 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Panther II engine, first flying on 5 December 1929. It was evaluated as both a land-based interceptorTapper 1988, p. 176. and as a naval fighter to meet the requirements of Specification N.21/26. While showing better performance than the first prototype, it too was unsuccessful, although it did carry out useful development work for the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16. Variants ;Starling I :1927 - first prototype - powered by Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VII or V engine. ;Starling II :1930 - second prototype - specification N.21/26 for a naval fighter. Powered by Armstrong Siddeley Panther II engine. Operators ; Specifications (Starling I) |empty weight alt= 936 kg |loaded weight main= 3,095 lb |loaded weight alt= 1,407 kg |useful load main= |useful load alt= |max takeoff weight main= |max takeoff weight alt= |more general= |engine (prop)=Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar V |type of prop= 14 cylinder radial engine |number of props=1 |power main= 460 hp |power alt= 343 kW |power original= |max speed main= 139 kn |max speed alt= 160 mph, 258 km/h |max speed more= at 10,000 ft (3,050 m) |cruise speed main= |cruise speed alt= |never exceed speed main= |never exceed speed alt= |stall speed main= |stall speed alt= |range main= |range alt= |ceiling main= |ceiling alt= |climb rate main= |climb rate alt= |loading main= |loading alt= |thrust/weight= |power/mass main= |power/mass alt= |more performance= |guns=2 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns |avionics= }} See also *Bristol Bulldog References * * * * * External links * EdCoatsCollection Starling II history Category:1920s British fighter aircraft Starling Category:Sesquiplanes Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft